Meta-analysis of childhood leukaemia

Objectives

Within the framework of the BBEMG project, the Research Unit in Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics studies the impact of electromagnetic fields on health using meta-analyses. Several studies have investigated the relationship between electromagnetic fields and childhood leukemia (Kabuto et al., 2006; Linet et al., 1997; Michaelis et al., 1997). Nevertheless, there are important discrepancies in this research field. Some studies found that childhood leukemia could be associated with extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) but others studies found no relation between these variables. Therefore, it is important to conduct meta-analyses to determine whether exposure to electromagnetic fields can really increase the risk of childhood leukemia.

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of several studies. This analysis provides a synthesis of the different results obtained about a specific question. Meta-analyses are considered to be the most reliable form of evidence and scientific proof (Borenstein et al. 2009). Unfortunately, procedures and statistics used in meta-analyses are often inaccurate and biased, which invalidates their conclusions (Ioannidis et al. 2015; Ioannidis 2016). Therefore, it is essential to conduct meta-analyses using the right step-by-step procedures and based on systematic reviews of the literature that take into account the PRISMA STATEMENT and PRISMA checklist (Beaudart et al., 2016; Rabenda et al., 2017; see PRISMA website in the References). In our unit, we are conducting a systematic review and a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between ELF-EMF and childhood leukemia.